5 extremists killed in security raid in Egypt's Sinai

Five extremists were killed and four others were arrested on Sunday in a security raid on their hideouts in major cities in Egypt's North Sinai province, a security source told Xinhua.

"The extremists exchanged fire with the police-security forces south of southern Sheikh Zuweid city that lead to their death," the source said, noting the gunmen belonged to al-Qaida-inspired, Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group.

The raid is part of a massive security campaign in the Sinai Peninsula where terrorist attacks escalated following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by the military last July. Dozens of extremists were killed and hundreds arrested as a result.

The removal of the Islamist president angered extremist groups that have been launching terrorist attacks against security personnel and facilities in the Sinai, the capital Cairo and some other provinces, leaving dozens killed and hundreds injured as well.

Meanwhile, the security forces have been waging a massive crackdown on Morsi's loyalists. Last August the security used excessive force to disband two major pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo and Giza, leaving about 1,000 dead and thousands arrested.